IceDragons of Pern
by NekoDae
Summary: 1 year after the Winter War Toshiro Hitsugaya is sent to the planet of Pern to settle some Spiritual interfearance.
1. Chapter 1

Max - Hello all

Tōshirō - Konnichi wa

Max - The first chapter of Ice Dragons of Pern is now here and I need your help deciding what lil' Shiro's dragon should be called

Tōshirō - Don't call me Lil' Shiro *pulls out Hyōrinmaru*

Max - Alright, sorry *Pushes the blade to one side*

Tōshirō - *sighs* Alright. Max doesn't own Bleach or The Dragonriders of Pern series. She makes no money from these stories and does it only for the amusement of herself and other people…hopefully

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_"Hello"_ - Shows that the speaker is talking to a Zanpakuto.

_Hello_ - Shows that the speaker is thinking

* * *

Tōshirō Hitsugaya greeted the day the same way he did every other day, with a yawn. And it was with this yawn that the daily routine began, promising to be most abundant in three particular things: Paperwork, Matsumoto, and tea. Everyone in the Seireitei knew that Matsumoto and paperwork were volatile when mixed in large quantities, or in any quantities actually, and this usually resulted in large amounts of yelling, giving the need for large amounts of tea.

Having just made his morning cup of tea, Tōshirō Hitsugaya had just started signing the towering piles of paper on his desk when he received a Jigokuchō from Sasakibe Fuku-Taichō

"_Hitsugaya-Taichō. Your presence is requested by Sou-Taichō Yamamoto"_

Looking forlornly at the steaming cup of green tea Toshiro stood up, taking his Haori from the back of his chair and slipping it on before sliding the Shoji-screen door open and stepping out into the cool winter sun. With only the sound of his feet on the floor of the empty corridor Toshiro turned right, walking quickly down the halls of the Juubantai barracks.

With Shun-po the journey took only a few minutes, roof jumping made the journey even shorter and, in under five minutes Toshiro was announcing his name and title at the gate leading into the Ichibantai barracks.

The Ichibantai is the central command of the Seireitei and, after the war, was the squad with the most damage. Almost 150 of the dead unseated officers came from the Ichibantai and, as this was figured to be a ploy to destabilise the command of the Seireitei, the Ichibantai was being built up quickly again.

The Vizards, Urihara, Yoruichi and Tessai were also welcomed back into the Seireitei and granted admission into a squad of their choice, as long as their prospective Taicho accepted of course. Kisuke replaced Kurotsuchi who was sent back to the Maggots Nest after the war, his 'experiments' on hollows and other beings having been proved to be illegal. After a talk with the Sou-Taichō it was agreed that they would be approved access to the world of the living and that the Urihara Shoten would stay in business as a Shinigami store masquerading as a candy store. Yoruichi and Tessai stayed in the World of the Living to keep the Urahara shoten open but it was said that it wasn't quite the same without the quirky shop-keeper there almost 24-7.

Walking up to the door of the Sou-Taichō's office Toshiro knocked politely, waiting until he was invited inside before sliding the door open and walking to stand in front of the Sou-Taichō's desk.

Ukitake, like everyone else, bore scars of the war fifteen years ago. A large scar made it's way down his chest from his right shoulder to his left hip and had been dealt with expertly by Orihime Inoue.

"ah, Tōshirō, welcome" Kisuke Urahara stood next to Tōshirō. His hat had been removed for this meeting and he looked surprisingly different without it, less shady.

"Ukitake Sou-Taichō"

"You know, of course, that we control the flow of souls from not just the World of the Living but multiple other worlds?"

"hai. I have not seen these worlds myself and I was of the understanding that the Onmitsukido was in control of the souls in these other worlds"

"that is true but they have less than half their original forces after the war and it seems that they are stretched thin. They won't sent new recruits until they've had sufficient experience in the World of the Living and have requested that someone else takes control of the souls of one planet for a time" Ukitake stood from his desk and walked to a set of shelves on the far wall, the shelves made up of alternating columns of shelves and lock-boxes. Pulling a small key from the pocket hidden in his Shihakusho Ukitake unlocked a single lock-box in the centre of the shelves and pulled out a file before pushing the box closed again "they've requested that someone is sent to the planet of Pern. The Pernese language is a slightly adapted form of English, they have limited technology and appear to ride something akin to dragons"

Both Tōshirō and Hyorinmaru were shocked at that last statement "and that was the reason that I was chosen?"

"it was certainly part of it. It seems that the hollows on the world of Pern are adapted as well, about as strong as a Menos Gillian and with a wider, though still limited, intelligence and it was figured that a Taichō would be sent initially and a secondary team would be sent later if necessary"

"ah" nodding in understanding Tōshirō crossed his arms, hiding his hands in the sleeves of the other arm "so when am I leaving?"

"well Urahara-san has brought your Gigai to the Seireitei to do some finer re-modelling, inserting a translator chip just behind the ear and some other things which he thinks that you should be able to ascertain by yourself once on the planet of Pern, and that should take a few hours at most to finish. Or so he tells me, so be outside the Senkaimon at eight tomorrow. I appreciate that it's quite short-notice but, unfortunately, it's the latest that someone can be sent"

"Hai is there anything else I should know?"

"aa, you need to look over this file before you leave as it holds some important information about the Pernese and their dragons"

"hai" taking the proffered file, taken from the middle of the larger file that sat open in Ukitake's hand, and bowed once before exiting the office.

Tucking the file into the front of his haori Tōshirō used a slow Shun-po to get back to his office, taking a detour to Momo's grave.

A small patch of grass and headstone were all that remained of Momo Hinamori, her body having been put on a funeral Pyre with the rest of the war causalities.

Walking along the rows of marbled headstones Tōshirō stopped in front of the one that belonged to his sister and fell to his knees. This was the only place that he permitted himself to cry but it seemed that the tears weren't going to fall this time

"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while Momo. Everything is as hectic as usual, even more so now. New Arrancar have been found in Hueco Mundo and I've been called away on a mission to another planet" Tōshirō crossed his legs and let his hands fall uselessly into his lap, staring at the headstone with a unfocused expression "an you imagine it? Me, going to another planet? I know you'd say that it was Sugoi and that I was so lucky but then you could always see things like that.." he sat in silence for a long time, just staring at the headstone, but the dimming light had him standing eventually.

Tōshirō's muscles were stiff and he heard quite a few pops as he stretched "ja ne, Momo" giving the headstone an affectionate touch Tōshirō walked away, his steps heavy with grief as he left the hill that served as the final resting place of the Souls lost in their profession as a Shinigami.

Shun-poing quickly to his office Tōshirō slid the Shoji screen closed behind him and pulled the file from his Shihakusho, placing it on his desk before grabbing his cup of stone cold tea from it's place on the desk and walked to the small kitchenette in the back of the office, up-ending it into the sink _what a waste…_

The offices of each squad had a kitchenette, a toilet, bathroom and a bedroom for whenever a Taichō or Fuku-Taichō fell asleep on the while signing paperwork late at night.

Making himself another cup of tea Tōshirō sighed and rubbed his eyes, a ache starting to pulse just behind them.

Pouring himself another cup of tea Tōshirō sat down behind his desk and opened the file.

_**Life on Pern**_

_Life on Pern resembles a pre-industrial society with lords, holds, harpers (musicians, entertainers, and teachers), and dragons, with the occasional examples of higher technology (like flamethrowers, telegraph, chemical fertilizers, and powerful microscopes and telescopes)._

_Pernese people are described as belonging to four basic groups: Weyrfolk (including Dragonriders) who live in the Weyrs, the Holders who live in the Holds (cities, towns and farms), the crafters who live in Crafthalls (or are assigned to work their crafts in certain Holds), and the Holdless who have no permanent home (including traders, displaced Holders, and brigands)._

_One of the main threats to Pernese civilization in the series is Thread, which is described as a mycorrhizoid spore that periodically rains down on the planet due to the orbit of the Red Star. The Red Star is set out to be a rogue planet in the local planetary system, named the Rukbat system._

_The Red Star has a 250 Turn (or Pernese year) elliptic orbit around its sun. Thread can reach the planet Pern for about 50 Turns while the Red Star is at perihelion. Thread is described as an organism that consumes organic material at a voracious rate, including crops, animals, and any humans in its path._

_The Pernese use intelligent fire breathing dragons and their riders to fight Thread. The riders have a telepathic bond with their dragons, formed by Impression at the dragon's hatching. Dragons are described as carnivorous, oviparous, warm-blooded creatures. Like all of Pern's native large fauna, they have six limbs - four feet and two wings. Their blood, referred to as ichor, is copper-based and green in colour._

_Their head and general body type is described as being similar in shape to those of horses. On their heads they have small head knobs, similar to those of giraffes, and no visible ears. They have multifaceted eyes that change colour depending on the dragon's mood. Unlike the dragons of Terran legend, they have a smooth hide rather than scales; the texture of their skin is described as being reminiscent of suede with a spicy, sweet scent when clean._

_They are described as having forked tail ends with a thin membrane between the two tips, believed to be used for finer movement and steering. The dragons usually get from one place to another by going through a teleportation process known as 'going between'._

_Dragons come in five different colours; Green, Blue, Brown, Bronze, and Gold. Greens are female, are small and fast, and will Impress with either male or female humans. Blue and brown are larger than greens, and will only Impress men. Bronze and gold dragons are the hardest to Impress and the largest of all. Bronze dragons are only Impressed by men and are the most respected amongst the dragon colours, with the exception of gold. The gold queens are the only dragons to lay eggs and Impress to women only. Their status among dragons leads to the rider of a Gold usually becoming Weyrwoman if there is an opening, or if a current Weyrwoman wishes to step down. The Gold queens will rise to mate about once per year, and will only mate with whatever dragon can catch her. This is usually limited to bronze dragons, but browns are allowed to participate._

_**Geology of the Weyrs**_

_Weyrs are the physical spaces in which dragons, their riders and support staff reside. Weyrs are usually built into the cliff faces of ancient volcanic calderas. Many of the living spaces are in natural cave systems within the cliff walls._

_Each Weyr has a Weyrbowl (the bottom of the caldera) which includes a holding area for fodder for the dragons, i.e. fattened herd beasts (__wherries__, cattle, sheep, goats, etc), a lake or cove (bathing area for the dragons), Star-stones to predict a coming Pass as well as many large grassy areas and ledges for dragons to sun themselves._

_An individual dragon's 'weyr' (distinct from the complex, denoted by the use of a lowercase) consists of a ledge for landing and sunning, a cavern with a "couch", or raised stone bed (covered with straw or other bedding) for the dragon and sleeping and storage areas for the rider. Some weyrs include a separate alcove for a rider's living area, but smaller weyrs (usually only occupied when the Weyr is very full) have only enough space for a rider to hang a hammock near his dragon and store his gear on hooks. Most weyrs do not have access by foot, the only access being by dragon-wing._

_Weyrs for goldriders (and some ranking bronze-riders) are located near ground level with stairs or tunnel access to the ground or Lower Caverns so that goldriders can still access their weyrs while their dragons are on the Hatching Grounds with their eggs. The Weyrwoman's chambers in particular are extensive, connecting to her office, a large meeting room and the records room. A few have large, private baths heated by a hypocaust system_

_**Leadership**_

_The plural Weyrleaders typically refers to the Weyrwoman as well as the Weyrleader, though in some contexts it may refer to a council of Weyrleaders, a conference among the military leaders of the Weyrs._

_The domestic head of the Weyr is the Weyrwoman, the rider of the ranking gold ("queen") in the Weyr. If the Weyrwoman dies, or if her dragon ceases to mate due to old age or serious injury, the rider of the next gold to rise to mate will take the position. Though she and her gold are called "senior pair" they are senior in rank, not necessarily in age or in experience._

_The Weyrwoman is in charge of all matters that pertain to housing, food, the raising of children living in the Weyr, training, organization and discipline of the support staff of the Weyr, as well as the day-to-day living requirements of the dragons and their riders. The Weyrwoman is also a diplomatic ambassador, responsible for relations to other Weyrs, Holds and the Crafthalls. Most of her duties are administrative, delegating responsibilities to her Headwoman or junior goldriders._

_The Headwoman is the Weyrwoman's primary assistant. The Headwoman is responsible for implementing the Weyrwoman's orders regarding management of the Lower Caverns, where the bulk of the support staff live and work. She is in charge of the cook staff, the cleaning staff, maintenance staff and the Fostering staff. She wields a great deal of power inside of the_

_**Weyr.**_

_Retired goldriders often remain in the Weyr as an assistant or advisor to the Weyrwoman. They are sometimes designated to represent the Weyrwoman in the Weyrwoman's absence._

_Junior goldriders are also assistants to the Weyrwoman. All dragons will obey the orders of a queen, unless they contradict the orders of the senior gold. Because of this, all goldriders must act as leaders. The junior goldriders are typically assigned to record keeping, lower level diplomatic duties, training gold weyrling pairs and fostering teenage girls who are likely to rise to a leadership position within the Weyr. This provides them with important experience for future leadership positions, as each junior pair has the chance to become Weyrwoman on very short notice._

_Leadership is determined through chance. The first gold dragon to rise to mate after the previous Weyrwoman's gold dragon has died or ceased to mate becomes Weyrwoman; the rider of the bronze dragon that catches that dragon becomes Weyrleader. This system can produce inept or otherwise unsatisfactory leadership. There is no way to remove a bad Weyrwoman and the only way to replace a Weyrleader is for a different bronze to fly the Weyrwoman's gold dragon. During an Interval, it may be as long as a decade between mating flights._

_When a new Weyr is opened the first among the newly assigned gold dragons to rise to mate becomes the first Senior gold at that Weyr and the rider of the bronze that catches her is the new Weyrleader. Often when the golds are assigned to the Weyr they assign only a single gold at first, to insure the chosen leadership, or they wait until the chosen goldrider's dragon is about to rise to mate to assign golds to the new Weyr._

_A retiring Weyrwoman may choose her successor by timing her retirement to occur just before her chosen successor's dragon is about to rise to mate. However, this may not be possible if her choice of successor is not going to rise to mate in a reasonable amount of time. A Weyrwoman who fails to retire in a reasonable amount of time after her gold has failed to rise to mate may be forced to step down by force of the junior goldriders, the bronzeriders and/or the weyrfolk. This method of choosing a successor is also no guarantee of a quality replacement, as the Weyrwoman herself may choose her successor based on personal bias against an otherwise capable goldrider or on poorly thought-out criteria._

_If a Weyrleader dies "in office" the Wingleaders rule by committee until the Weyrwoman's gold rises to mate._

_Wingleaders and Wingseconds are chosen though merit, though only bronzeriders are considered for Wingleader and only bronze and brownriders for Wingsecond._

_New Wingleaders are selected by The Weyrleader, advised by existing Wingleaders._

_Wingseconds are chosen by the Wingleader from among his wingriders, though with permission he might be able to recruit a promising rider from another Wing._

_There is no marriage in the Weyr, as dragonriders are so involved in their dragons' needs that it would be unfair to a romantic partner to commit to a permanent relationship. Instead, Weyrs have "weyrmates." In rare cases, weyrmating is as deep and permanent as a marriage. However, a weyrmate would usually be the equivalent to a long-term "boyfriend" or "girlfriend". A weyrmate might be another rider, a crafter or a lower caverns worker. The term indicates that the pair usually share living quarters, for the time being. Such relationships can be severed at any time by either partner for any reason_

_._

_Parental ties are loose, and children are considered to be the property of the Weyr, not of the parent. Usually a child knows who his or her parents are, but many have no more contact with them than any other Weyr resident. There is often some fondness between parent and child; a parent might give a "birthing day" or "Turn's End" gift to their child and keep tabs on the child's development. Other parents completely ignore their child's existence. Severing a child's emotional ties with their natural parents is also considered to be a balancing factor, as expectations for Weyrbrats are not tied to the rank or qualities of their parents. Children are seen as individuals who must succeed or fail on their own, not on parental merit. During a Pass, when a dragonrider parent risks life and limb fighting Thread, this also limits the child's trauma should a parent die._

_Sexual relations in a Weyr are typically very liberal. Sex is a form of tension release, and can be triggered through telepathic cues that are produced by the dragons in mating flights. A goldrider can be expected to be open to sexual relations with multiple males (especially bronzeriders) and greenriders are expected to not mind having many sexual partners as well. Sexual contact during mating flights is not considered to be any indication of a dragonrider's preference in either individual or gender preference. In addition, sex with a person other than a weyrmate during a mating flight is not considered to be "cheating." This behavior is considered anathema to the Holders (who are very conservative in their morals) and, to a lesser degree, the Crafters._

_**Wing Structure**_

_The fighting units of dragons are organized in groups known as Wings. A collection of three Wings is known as a Flight, and is the largest permanent organizational structure within a Weyr._

_A Wing is led by a Wingleader, who is always a bronzerider. The Wingleader is responsible for ensuring that his Wing is capable of safely fighting thread. He also appoints Wingseconds and recruits newly graduated weyrlings. Ideally a Wing has two Wingseconds, which are also typically bronze or brown dragons. They fill the Wingleader's position in the case of an emergency, and help to convey the Wingleader's orders to the rest of the Wingriders. A healthy Wing contains thirty Wingriders and their dragons, of which more than 3/4 are blue or green. The smaller blue and green dragons do not have the stamina to safely fly an entire threadfall and must be rotated out in two or three shifts. If a Wing falls to fewer than 12 healthy dragon/rider pairs, the Wing is disbanded and absorbed by other Wings._

_**Residents of a Weyr**_

_The capacity of a Weyr varies from 300-600 dragons. However, during a Pass the dragonriders' duties leave little time for any other activity, so each Weyr has a large support staff that can number into the thousands._

_Residents of a Weyr include:_

_**Dragonriders **__- living in weyrs (lower case w, or the individual cavern where a single dragon and his/her rider lives), usually in the cliff faces in Northern Weyrs._

_**Weyrlings **__- young, immature dragons and their riders. Young dragons generally fly for the first time at about one Turn (year) and train with the Weyrling Wing until mature enough to join a Fighting Wing, usually between 1 1/2 to 2 Turns. Weyrling dragonriders may not join a Wing until age 16, no matter how mature their dragon. Weyrling riders who have completed training but are not yet Turned 16 are often assigned messenger or sentry duties until they come of age. They do not have adult level rank/status until they have been accepted into a Fighting Wing._

_**Lower Caverns staff **__- Often, but not always, the Candidates who failed to Impress a dragon, or those who have run away from home to live in the more liberal, accepting atmosphere of the Weyr. Lower Cavern staff are often the grown children of dragonriders. This includes cooks, servers, cleaning staff for common areas, those who care for the beasts that will feed the dragons, and many others. Lower Caverns workers often satisfy the sexual needs of riders who have lost a mating flight. They are lead and organized by a headwoman, who is usually ranked just under the weyrleaders in authority._

_**Weyrbrats **__- The children who are born in the Weyr are called (affectionately) Weyrbrats. Weyrbrats may be the children of Dragonriders, Lower Cavern staff or Crafters. It is the tradition in the Weyr that children are not raised by their natural parents, as dragonrider parents do not have time to raise a child while caring for a dragon. This community model also serves to reduce parental favoritism. Children are Fostered as soon as they are weaned from their mother's milk, and initially sent to the Weyr's creche. Once the child has grown to show distinct personality and talents, they are matched with a Fosterer (foster parent) who suits the child's temperament. Every male Weyrbrat has the right to become a Candidate and stand for Impression at age 12. Female Weyrbrats may become Candidates if there is a gold egg in the Hatching Grounds. By the end of the Ninth Pass, female Greenriders have become more common, so female Weyrbrats may be allowed to join the ranks of Candidates even if there is no gold egg in more progressive Weyrs._

_**Candidates **__- Young people who are given the opportunity to become a dragonrider. They are chosen through Search, where a sensitive dragon, usually a blue or green, seeks mentally sensitive boys and girls who are of the correct temperament to match minds with a dragon hatchling. Usually those searched are young males, aged 12 – 18, although older girls (aged 16–22) are sometimes searched if there is a gold egg available. With the addition of any Weyrbrat aged 12–18, the Searched are familiarized with the eggs and are present when the eggs hatch. The Hatchlings choose, or Impress a Candidate who suits his or her temperamental and/or other (still unknown) needs. The minimum age of the Candidates is decided by the Weyrleaders and may be changed according to the Weyr's needs. If there is a greater need for older more responsible riders, the age may be pushed back, if there is a lack of Candidates, the age may be lowered. The minimum age may also be changed depending on whether Pern is experiencing Fall or Pass. The youngest anyone has Impressed a dragon is aged 10 , the oldest seems to be in their early twenties. There have been periods of time in Pern's history where females have been able to Impress and ride Green dragons. Whether or not female Candidates are allowed on the Hatching Grounds if there is no gold egg is unknown, but it can be speculated this may be allowed in more progressive, or liberal, Weyrs_

_**Craftsmen **__- assigned to the Weyr by their Craft, Craftsmen serve the dragonriders and support staff as they would serve any Hold. The position is usually a high prestige assignment, and they are autonomous from Weyr structure. However some craftmen gain their position as a Weyr by being Searched and proficient in their craft discipline, at which point they are appointed by their Mastercrafter as the official representative._

_**Crafthall Structure**_

_Crafts are divided into separate halls. These Halls are both places of work and a social structure. A Crafthall may range from a humble Fisher's shack on a rocky coast to the great craft complexes like Smithhall at Telgar or the Harper-Healer Hall at Fort. Generally, one or more crafthalls are recognized as being the center of learning for their craft are generally identified as Major Crafthalls, the rest being considered Minor Crafthalls. Each crafthall selects a leader from among their masters, and the convocation of all Craftsmasters of a craft elect their head, their Craft's Mastercraftsman. The Mastercraftsman has the right to speak for all members of his Craft, planet-wide._

_A distinction should be drawn between the Hold-crafts and the Hall-crafts. Several Crafts, while having their own Halls and places of learning, are basic skills that no Hold can do without. Examples include the Farmercraft, Cookingcraft, and Beastcraft (or Herdcraft). These Hold-crafts are therefore found everywhere, and their life does not primarily revolve around their home Halls. In contrast, crafts such as the Minercraft, Smithcraft, or Healercraft require specific locations, specialized halls, and years of learning to master. Unlike the Hold-crafts, these Crafts stand somewhat aloof from the regular day-to-day life of the Holds of Pern._

_There are three degrees of rank: apprentice, journeyman (or journeywoman), and master. Apprentices begin their education as early as eight or nine years of age and are instructed by one or more master craftsmen on a regular basis. Journeymen (or women) continue to receive instruction, but may go without instruction for indefinite periods of time to practice their craft in outlying settlements. The majority of a craft's members will be journeymen and journeywomen; many will never advance beyond this point. The highest regular rank is master which denotes the ability, right, and responsibility to pass the ways of the Craft on to apprentices and journeymen. There are two types of Master in a crafthall: a Craftsmaster, who is higher ranking than apprentices and journeymen/journey women, and a Master Craftsman, who is in charge of all things relating to that particular craft._

_**Currency**_

_Pern's currency is known as the Mark. Marks are circulated in the form of coins made of wood, whose value is set by a meeting of the political and economic leaders of the planet, apparently as a command economy. The coins occur in the denominations 1⁄32, 1⁄16, 1⁄8, ¼, ½, 1, 2, 5, and 10 marks, with a few 100-mark coins for very large transactions. All the coins are the same size, denominations being indicated by a stamped number. They also have some sort of picture marking representing the type of hold or craft mark they are. If the number has a line above it, then it represents a unit fraction (that is, 32 with a line above would be 1⁄32), whereas a line below the number indicates an integer. The ½ and 2 Mark coins are the only ones that could be potentially confused._

_Every craft produces its own marks, and the supply is kept constant, new marks only being produced to replace old ones. Some craft's marks are valued over other crafts depending on the political climate of the time._

Tōshirō gave a tired sigh and closed the file. Rubbing his tired eyes he glanced at the clock while reaching for his cup of tea. It was almost one in the morning and, though he had stayed up later than this on paperwork, he was exhausted. Hyōrinmaru was buzzing in the back of his mind, contemplating the coming meetings with the Pernese dragons and the things that had been learned about the planet.

There was only about a centimeter of lukewarm tea in the bottom of the cup and, draining that, Tōshirō placed his cup in the sink, to tiered to wash it and put it away. Walking with quiet, shuffling steps Tōshirō slipped out of his Shihakusho int his white sleeping Yakuta and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Max - And that's the first chapter for you. I'd like to also say R.I.P to all those who died in the Christchurch earthquake and the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami combination *moment of silence*

Tōshirō - Isn't it a little…

Max - Yeah I know. Apologies for all the information that I had to put in there and here are some information to make the technical things make sense

-Oviparous animals are animals that lay eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother.

- The term "ichor" is often used in fantasy contexts by authors as a synonym for "blood"

-A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant.

- A hypocaust (Latin hypocaustum) was an ancient Roman system of central heating / underfloor heating. The hypocaust system is used to heat houses with hot air. The word literally means "fire beneth", from the Greek hypo meaning below or underneath, and kaiein, to burn or light a fire. They are traditionally considered to have been invented by Sergius Orata, though this is not fully confirmed.

Hypocausts were used for heating public baths and private houses. The floor was raised above the ground by pillars, called pilae stacks with a layer of tiles then a layer of concreat then another of tiles on top, and spaces were left inside the walls so that hot air and smoke from the furnace would pass through these enclosed areas and out of flues in the roof, thereby heating but not polluting the interior of the room. Ceramic box tiles were placed inside the walls to both remove the hot burned air, and also to heat the walls. Rooms requiring the most heat were placed closest to the furnace, whose heat could be increased by adding more wood to the fire. It was labour-intensive to run a hypocaust as it required constant attention to tend the fire, and expensive in fuel, so it was a feature of the villa and public baths.

Tōshirō - hmmm

Max - See you next time

Tōshirō - Ja Ne


	2. Chapter 2

Max - Minna-san, konnichiwa

Tōshirō - Mmm

Max - Apologies for the late chapter, I honestly did mean to put it up before now but things have gotten quite hectic at school and I've got the dreaded WRITERS BLOCK. That's also why the chapter is so short so, again, apologies. Also, be warned that this story won't be updated as fast as my other stories because of the fact that the only book from the series I actually own is 'The White Dragon' and that means that I have to borrow the other books till I can buy some for myself.

Tōshirō - *Reading through the script*

Max - What do you think?

Tōshirō - *Throws the script over his shoulder and walks away*

Max - fine then. I don't own Bleach or The Dragonriders of Pern series. I make no money from the story and i do it only for the amusement of myself and other people…hopefully…

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Nyxtolouloudo - Well, when the plot-bunnies strike… and for names, I think Pern names with a Japanese sound to them, or vice-versa, would be best.

IWantAPetBadger - I have had to borrow the series to get this story started but, after the first few chapters and some of the larger plot pieces, Lessa going forward in time and such, this story will deviate quite a bit.

Magician Girl Mirani - Well I'm glad to see that people will be watching, and hopefully reviewing, this story. As for the time-line, this story will be set during the first book before deviating from the cannon plot so that could either help or confuse you more… =.=

If I told you the colour then it'd ruin the surprise but I can tell you that it's not a cannon colour for the DoP dragons, though you're free to guess ^^

Thank you for the names, there are a few there that I'm definitely contemplating did you get Lelouch from Code Geass by any chance? That name could fit with the colour I have in mind

Rhavis - I'm glad you like the story and I will be continuing the story, though it'll probably be updated less frequently than my others because I have to borrow the series… the only book I actually own from the series is The White Dragon…

* * *

"Hello" - Normal speech (Japanese in the Seireitei, Pernese on Pern Etc.).

"**Hello" - ** Shows the speaker is a Dragon of Pern.

"_Hello" - _ Shows the speaker is a Zanpakutō.

_Hello - _ Thoughts and talking with a Zanpakutō while outside the Inner-World.

Weary teal eyes blinked open and a yawn escaped the lips of one Tōshirō Hitsugaya. Sitting up Tōshirō rubbed his eyes, the tired teal orbs standing out even more against his white hair and paler-than-usual skin _"Daijoubu desu ka"_

_Hai, Daijoubu desu_ the response was weary and even Tōshirō didn't believe it as he stood from his futon, straightening it up before getting a towel from the cupboard near the door and making the short trip to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. There was a lot to do today and, even though it was only just getting light outside, there wasn't all that much time to get everything done in so Tōshirō decided to skip the bath this morning, using the shower instead despite the fact that a bath was probably better for his head at this point.

It took ten minutes for Tōshirō to have a shower, exiting the bathroom with his Yakuta in hand and only a towel around his waist, and Tōshirō shut the Shoji screen firmly behind him. Quickly getting changed into his Shihakusho Tōshirō flipped the towel onto his head, drying his hair quickly with the damp towel before draping it over a metal rail to dry.

Tōshirō could hear someone in the kitchen and guessed it would be Mai, Matsumoto only went into the kitchen to raid the Stash of Sake she had hidden there. Each captain was given a maid to keep their office clean and do other such tasks but, as Tōshirō used the extra rooms in the office as his living quarters Mai also cooked breakfast for the icy Taichō and she was greatly appreciated by Tōshirō, having put up with more than one blizzard during her time.

Walking into the office Tōshirō saw a head of bright red hair moving around the kitchen and smiled ever so slightly "Hitsugaya Taichō" when Mai saw Tōshirō she broke out into a large smile, the same smile that she showed every time she saw the icy Taichō

"Mai" Tōshirō nodded a greeting to the woman as she bustled around the kitchen, sitting at his desk and getting started on the ever-present piles of paperwork the adorned the edges of the desk.

By nine Am Tōshirō had worked through the large piles of the paperwork and talked with Byakuya Kuchiki, requesting that he watch over the Juubantai while he was on his mission. Byakuya had accepted and Tōshirō left the Rokubantai Taichō to do his own large, though substantially smaller, pile of paperwork _"you need to relax a little, I'm being hailed on"_

_Sumimasen, Hyōrinmaru_ changing directions Tōshirō took a hard left at the next corner and jumped onto the roof, making his way to the Juubantai training grounds.

The training grounds were on the edge of the Juubantai barracks, a large, enclosed space. Appearing at the entrance of the training grounds Tōshirō looked around, spotting only one sparring pair in the far corner go _slow or just straight to Bankai?_

"_go slow"_ drawing Hyōrinmaru's blade Tōshirō holds the blade out infront of him "sōten ni zase, Hyōrinmaru" Tōshirō didn't even wait for the blade to elongate fully before swinging it and sending out a icy dragon to attack an invisible foe.

By eleven thirty Am Tōshirō stood in the middle of the almost completely frozen training Juubantai training ground. He felt the weight of his Bankai fade away and sheathed Hyōrinmaru once again, walking from the training grounds with a sure step. He glanced at the small audience that had appeared to watch their captain train, hearing Hyōrinmaru chuckle as they ventured out onto the ice. Walking a little slower Tōshirō watched as the group walked timidly out onto the ice, slipping and skidding across the slippery surface, grabbing onto each other to try hold themselves up but only succeeding in bringing down their comrades too.

Exiting the training grounds Tōshirō returned to his office, scowling when he spotted new piles of paper sitting on his desk _damn that Matsumoto_ hearing the thunk of bodies hitting the floor outside his office was the only way Tōshirō knew that he was freezing the room, and everything outside the room, solid. Reigning in his anger he watched as the paperwork slowly start to melt.

Having completed the small pile of paperwork from the Sou-Taichō, and the larger pile that had been dumped on him by Matsumoto, Tōshirō still had two hours before he had to be at the senkaimon.

Having informed Matsumoto of his mission before he visited the Rokubantai, trained for two and a half hours, requested for the Rokubantai Taichō to keep an eye on his squad, completed two different sets of his own paper work _and_ Matsumoto's share and visited Momo's grave the night before Tōshirō Hitsugaya found he was having one of the extremely rare moments where he had nothing to do. Drawing Hyōrinmaru again Tōshirō sat, cross-legged on the floor and laid the blade across his knees, closing his eyes to enter his inner world.

Even before he opened his eyes Tōshirō felt the cool, comforting wind of his inner world. Opening his eye Tōshirō found himself standing in the usual ankle-deep layer of snow that constantly covered the icy plain, Hyōrinmaru's red eyes were amusedly eager as he regarded the small Taichō infront of him. Gliding around Tōshirō the dragon curled it's self around the small frame, Tōshirō sitting in the snow at the centre of the icy coils. Sitting in a compatible silence for a moment Hyorinmaru regarded the boy resting against the inner curve of his wing  
_"what do you think of this mission?"_

"I think it's quite possibly the oddest mission that I've ever been sent on and, if it was anyone else I'd say they were crazy and call for Unohana-san, but Ukitake-san wouldn't joke about something like this"

"_agreed. What do you think these people will be like?"_

"I can't be sure. They'd have to be civilised otherwise they wouldn't be sending me in a Gigai but that's about as far as I can accurately guess. The report said that they had limited technology and I'd have to guess that they're views would be un-deniably different than our because of that, for a start, but…." Tōshirō didn't have to finish his sentence for the majestic dragon to understand

"_Mmmm"_

Tōshirō and Hyōrinmaru stayed like this for a very long time, just talking about small and insignificant things but, all to soon, Hyōrinmaru uncoiled himself slightly from the snowy-haired boy _"it seems that Someone is here to talk with you before you leave"_ standing Tōshirō smiled at the dragon and closed his eyes.

When the teal orbs re-appeared Tōshirō briefly glanced at the door, where a young Shinigami from the juunibantai stood silently "Hitsugaya-Taichō, Urahara-Taichō wants' to speak with you before you leave"

"aa, lead the way then" re-sheathing Hyōrinmaru and standing, Tōshirō grabbed his haori from the back of his chair. Glancing at the clock Tōshirō guessed that he'd been talking with Hyōrinmaru for around a hour and a half.

Following the juunibantai Shinigami through the Seireitei Tōshirō spotted Urahara waiting outside the juunibantai perimeter gates "ah, Hitsugaya-san, konbanwa"

"Urahara-san" nodding in greeting the shorter Taichō followed the scientist through the maze of corridors to a large laboratory, a snowy-haired body laying on a metal table and a smaller table next to the body had a row of items sitting on it.

"as you know I was asked by Ukitake-san to alter your Gigai to make up for lack of back-up on this new planet" Urahara walked up to the medical table "and here it is"

"it doesn't look very different" Tōshirō walked up to the Gigai, inspecting the body closely

"ah, you wound me Hitsugaya-san" a short chuckle from the Taichō next to him had Urahara explaining the adjustments made to his Gigai "as you can see I've made the adjustments subtle, access to strength and reiatsu equal to that of your reiatsu now, I've injected a small translator just behind the ear, " he moved the head of the Gigai to the side and flipped the ear forward, revealing a slight bump just before the cartilage of the ear started", and I've designed a instrument for Hyōrinmaru to reside while you're not using him"

"Che, what makes you think that I'll need something like that?"

"we had a Shinigami sent here a few centuries ago, this Shinigami managed to contact us after a time and said that toting a sword around the whole time was both uncomfortable and impractical in the new environments they were being forced into"

"so?"

"so, I designed this" Urahara picked up a fragile looking band of silver with a thin line of pale blue around the middle of the band "this allows the physical blade of a Zanpakuto to reside near a Shinigami, within reach at all times, easy to move around with and normal enough to be disregarded as nothing more than a sentimental bangle, giving the Shinigami a advantage in battle" Urahara placed the band back on the table

"I'll admit it's impressive. What about Gentei Reiin?"

"well it was decided that, since you'd be well out of reach should the Gentei Reiin seal need to be deactivated, you'd be given the Gentei Reiin stamp and pad so that you could apply the seal yourself, " Urahara pointed out a small, black, ornate looking stamp and ink pad, the two making up the equipment needed to apply a Gentei Reiin seal ", you will, of course, also be supplied with the usual equipment, the Gikon will be substituted by Noba-kun for the duration of the mission"

"A Kaizō Konpaku?"

"hai, Noba-kun has consented to accompany you to Pern, " Tōshirō nodded, crossing his arms

"aa, so why is my gigai wearing such odd clothing?"

"hmm, Residents of Pern have some rather odd items of clothing but these seem to be worn by most of the population" the gigai wore a plain, white tunic and a pair of rather tight looking pants made from some sort of hide, a jacket of similar material covered the tunic, sitting open at the front

"odd indeed" it seemed that Urahara was about to say something else, his mouth was open, when aJigokuchō fluttered through the window, cutting him off effectively as it hovered infront of Tōshirō. Holding his finger out to the butterfly Tōshirō waited as the messenger settled its self on his finger and relayed it's message.

"_Ukitake Sou-taichou has requested your presence at the __Senkaimon"_

"we're needed at the senkaimon" Tōshirō picked the Gentei Reiin equipment from the table and moved the edge of the tunic, revealing the chest of his gigai. Releasing a little reiatsu to unlatch the ink-pad, Tōshirō carefully applied the stamp first to the pad then to the skin just above the gigai's heart, giving the ink a moment to dry before snapping the pad shut and flipping up the edge of the tunic once more.

Setting the pad on the table Tōshirō touched the shoulder of his gigai, feeling the familiar, tight, squeezing feeling as he was pulled into his gigai, waking on the medical table and wasting no time in sitting up and sliding off the cool surface, though not because he wanted to, grabbing the Kaizō Konpaku pill, Gokon Tekkō glove, Gentei Reiin equipment and the Denreishinki, now rather pointless in his opinion since he wouldn't be able to contact the Seireitei easily while on Pern.

Following Urahara through the maze that was the juunibantai building, Tōshirō listened intently as Urahara explained some last minute information "Hitsugaya-san, regarding your Zanpakuto"

"hmmm"

"because of the bangle that is now hiding your Zanpakuto blade, you will have to repeat the words 'Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens' before Hyōrinmaru-san's sealed state will appear" nodding, deep in thought, Tōshirō followed the other captain to the senkaimon. Keeping up easily with his Shun-Po _are you ready?_

"_Ready and waiting"_ Tōshirō could feel Hyōrinmaru's presence in the front of his mind, watching through his eyes and almost vibrating in eagerness

"Ah, Tōshirō, Urahara. Welcome" Ukitake and Matsumoto stood to the side of the senkaimon, waiting to see the short juubantai-Taichō off.

"Ukitake-san" bowing his head in greeting

Ukitake smiled, giving a nod to the two Kido Corps members that stood at each side of the gate. The Senkaimon gates slowly opened "This senkaimon is slightly different from the usual senkaimon, from the reports that I have read it is only a few Shun-Po steps deep before it turns into the second gate. It was mentioned that once you pass through this second gate you'll become unconscious for a varying amount of time and each shinigami woke in a different part of the country"

"Sou-Taichō, the gate is open" the Kido-corps member standing next to Ukitake bowed once again before taking his previous place on the right side of the senkaimon, which was glowing green instead of light blue

"I'll miss you Taichō" Matsumoto glomped Tōshirō, thankfully from behind, and hugged him to her tightly "take care of yourself"

"Matsumoto, I've got to go…, " the busty woman didn't seem to hear him ", Matsumoto…, " Tōshirō sighed ", I'll miss you too Matsumoto"

His Fuku-taicho finally released her Taichō, a sad smile on her lips as she waved goodbye to the retreating figure of her small captain.

Tōshirō gave the small farewell party a last glance and a departing wave before stepping through the glowing green light of the Senkaimon gate, committing the image to memory as he shun-poed through the gloomy corridor that created the senkaimon.

Not slowing down when he reached the exit, Tōshirō felt his consciousness being pulled away from him, getting a single look at the sharp hills and stone courtyard filled with large, glittering, winged beasts and smaller, indistinct people.

* * *

F'lar was in a good mood. He, like Mnementh, thought that they had found the future Weyrwoman in the volatile, headstrong and independent Lessa of Ruatha Hold. Vaulting onto Mnementh's back after the Quick-tempered Ruathan it was Mnementh that first noticed the light distortion in the sky

"_there is something coming F'lar. I can hear it"_

'_do you know what it is Mnementh?'_

"_it's…a dragon. I can hear it roaring__. It sounds distorted and rippled though"_

'_is that even possible?'_ F'lar had never heard in his many years of a dragon hearing distorted roaring from another dragon though the mental connections that they shared. When dragons used their connection, even between each other, it was always using Pernese. _The only time they roared was when they were upset, but then it was out-loud not through…_ F'lar never got to finish his thought however, a large square of light had appeared over the hold. The square pulsated once, a dark green flush appeared and faded away within moments, before rippling like something hitting the water of a still lake. As the ripples got more and more violent the dragons crowded around under the square, almost like they were waiting for something to appear _"he's coming"_

'_wh__o's-…'_ his question was cut off however when the most violent ripple of them all occurred, the square almost looked like it was going to buckle as it's corners bent inwards before snapping out once again, flinging a body from it's depths before disappearing. Mnementh acted quickly and went in a spiral-dive after the body, coming out of the sharp decline only once Lessa had grabbed the arm of the boy, he was so small that he could be nothing else, and pulled him into a sitting position just infront of her _'is this who you meant?'_

"_of course"_ Mnementh sounded almost indignant as he rose to the previous height and entered the freezing darkness of between.

Emerging from the chilling between a moment later over Benden Weyr, Mnementh made his way to his weyr as if nothing was wrong. Waiting only until Lessa and F'lar had lowered themselves and the strange boy from his back before curling up on his 'couch'. Pulling open the chest that sat at the end of the bed F'lar rummaged through the contents of the chest, pulling out clean clothes for her, discards from the former occupants of his quarters.

Throwing the chosen clothes to Lessa, who made no move to catch them and let them fall to the ground at her feet. The messy pile of clothes was topped off by a bag of sweetsand, F'lar gesturing to the hanging that obscured the way to the bath "I must feed Mnementh, you may bathe while I'm gone" sending a wary glance at the un-conscious boy on his bed F'lar asked Mnementh to ask someone to send for a healer, he'd have no time between the hatching, attending to the girl and feeding Mnementh to ferry a healer himself.

Happy that a healer was on their way F'lar and Mnementh made their way to the feeding grounds to let the large, bronze dragon state the hunger that rumbled through his belly like some dragon-sized thunder.

'_Mnementh, we've got to keep an eye on this bo__y. I've got a feeling there'll be more trouble than Thread coming soon'_

* * *

Max - I know Tōshirō was OOC and I, once again, apologize but be aware that A, I have writers block and B, Things have been seriously hectic (I've had at least five exams in the past four days and it's getting OLD. I'm going to go sleep now, I sure as hell need it. *walks away*


	3. Yeah, another note (Important)

Okay, a few quick updates to be had here.

My Polytechnic course has ended sooner than expected due to large number of dropouts causing the course to be closed, but this does not mean that I will be likely updating before mid July still, as I've been given a ton more hours at work in response to that. I have got the book ordered though, so I will be working on the chapters in an effort to have at least a few chapters ready to go up.

Now, the main part of this is to tell you all about the Poll I am going to be putting up on my profile. There are two questions on that Poll, and you have two votes with which to answer each question. The questions are:  
**Q1, Should the plot change or stay the same?**

**Q2, what romantic pairings, if any, should there be for Toshiro?**  
And there are a number of options to answer with. If you want to drop me a comment or a PM telling me what you chose and why, or who you chose and why, then feel free to do so as it will really help me in deciding where the story will go.  
The new plot will not overly change to overall story, it is simply an edit to where Toshiro comes into the story in regards to the canon DoP plot so do not fret over that fact. Depending on what the overall answers are for the second question, there may be a sequel to the story as I have a few different way that things could be done.

Either way, go check out the poll and feel free to pm or comment with any particular ideas you had in regards to the questions, the story, or the people you chose.


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